Safety gate for railways



Oct. l5, 1929. A REGALMUTO 1,731,903

SAFETY GATE FOR RAILWAYS ATTORNEY Oct.` 15, 1929.

A. REGALMUTO SAFETY GATE FOR RAILwAYs 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 5, 1928 INVENTOR fzfu'oeamvfo.

. M ad e I ATTORNEY l Patented Oct. 15A, 1929 UNITED STATES ANTONIO REGALMU'IO, 0F BELLPORT, NEW YORK SAFETY GATE ron RAILWAYS Application :filed August 3, 1928. Serial No. 297,311.

rlhe invention relates to railway crossing gates and the same has for its object more particularly to provide a simple,` ineXpensive, ruggedly constructed apparatus which may be manufactured at a low cost and which will not easily get out of order but will eli'ectively serve its intended purpose.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a duplex gate, one unit of which is mounted at one side of the road adjacent the crossing, andthe other unit of which is mounted at the opposite side of the road, the two units including longitudinally movable gate bars and suitably controlled electric motor gate-operating instrumentalities for moving the bars toward and from one another across the road.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, my invention consists in the novel details of construction and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: j Fig. 1 is a plan cfa railway crossing with the invention applied.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the gates 3 comprising my invention, the two gate bars being shown separated in full lines and closed together in dotted lines. l p v F ig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the gate units, the motor being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4 4 of Fig. i n p Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views of the adjacent ends lof the gate bars.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of one eletric circuit with switching and circuit closing instrumentalities such as may be employed to control the operation of the gate by approaching trains.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the operating means.

In the drawings in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 1 and 2 represent the trackage of a railroad and 3 represents the cross road which is to be protected by the gates that constitute my invention.

At each side of the road 8 there is placed, adjacent therailway right-of-way, suitable supporting posts 4, the same being preferably arranged in pairs. .Supported on the posts are elevated' guide members 5 preferably of channeled form and having flanges 6 for mounting on the posts 4.

Auxiliary guide members 7 of somewhat similar form to the Guide members 5 are mounted on diagonal extensions from the posts 4 and are connected by `brace `bars 8 with the guide members 5. Anti-friction rolls 1O1OX are mounted in the guides 5 and 7 to support the gate bars 11. y

The gate bars 11 are of approximately T shape in cross section and have theirltop flange 12 arranged to ride on the rollers `10 and beneath the rollers 10X. The lower edge of the vertical web of each gate bar 11 is toothed or gear-cut as at 13 to provide racks for 'engagement with the driving gears 18. The opposed endsof the gate bars 11 have Y tongues 14 and recesses 15 which interlock when the gate bars are brought together (gate closed), the interlocking elements preferably being bevelled, as at 16, to assure each coming together. i

In the main guide members 5 there areheld shafts 17 0n which the driving gears 18 are mounted. The gears 18 are driven by worm gears 19 throughworm shafts 20 of electric motors A and B, there being one motor to each unit of the gate. Two complementary units comprise a single gate. i

The motors A and B are mounted on suitable'brackets 35 that are secured to the posts 4. The motors A and B are operated by electric circuits closed by circuit closers located in juxtaposition to the railway tracks at suitable distances from the crossing so that they e may be engaged by the train approaching the crossing. i

Various types of switches and circuits may be employed but for purposes of illustration I have indicated one way in which the motors may be operated. By referring particularly to Fig. 1 and to the diagrammatic j 7 it will be seen that train actuated switches Switch and lfrom there back to source 27 r 25 and 26are employed, one of these switches 25 serving to close the motor circuit in such manner as to bring the gates together, while the other closes the circuit reversely so as to yopen the'gates as will now be more fully eX- plained. Mounted on one of the posts Il is a reversing switch comprising two stationary contacts 23 and 24..and an overbalanced movable contact varm 22 which will always be in contact with one or the other contacts 23v and 24. The arm 22is electrically connected v to one pole of a source of. electric energy 27 v Vby a wire 33,- the other pole of which source 27 is connected by wires 32 with oneof the contacts Vof'each switch 25 and 26. 'f

2 The other contact of switch 25 connects by wires 28 with one pole of each motor A and B, the other ole of which connects by wires 271 with theu xed contact'24. The fixed contact 24V is also connected by wire 34 with theothcr contact of switch 26. The contact y ,23isconnected by wire 30 to the same side of the motors asis wire 28.

It should be understood that' there is a pair of switches 25, 26 for each track of a double track system, and two pairs for a single v track system, so that a train approaching the {crossing from either direction may close and opcnthegates'properly,

Assume that a train is moving from left to rightin' Fig. 7, (indicated by the arrow) and that the gates are open. As soon as the train engages switch 25 and closes the circuit at thatpoint (switches 25 and 26 may be of the delayed-break type to remain closed a deinite time 4interval in order to permit the motors to runV long enough Vto function properly) the current flows fr'ornsource of energy 27 to Y arm 22", to contact 24,1to motors A andB via wire 29,;to switchk 25 via wires 28, and return to source 27 viawire 32. -As soon as the gate 'bars 11 are brought together the rear pin 21, on that-"bar lldwhchl operates the reversing Y switch, engages'theyarm 22 and throws it over into engagement with contact 23,y thereby-'breaking the circuit which was closed by Vthe lswite`lr25, (the switch'25-,- it should be 'wire 32. This reverses thel rotation of i tlio'motorf As soon as the guidevbars 'reach 'the-'open ror separated positionthe forward pin lwillthrow arm 22 .back to contact 24, therebycbmpleting the cycle ofoperations.

K While-I, have discloseda gate composed of two uit's'it is. obvious von narrowv roadways I. a unit may bel employed..

dos

`i Having thus describedmy invention, wh at I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In railway crossing gates, a pair of units, one located at each side of the road adj acent the tracliway; said units each comprising an elevated rack bar, a motor to move said bar longitudinally, and means to support said bar; the bars of the units being arranged to move acrossA the road toward and from each other.

2. In railway crossing gates, a pair of units, one located at each side of the road adjacent the trackway; said units cach comprising an elevated rack bar, a motor to move said bar longitudinally, means to support said bar; the bars of the units being arranged to move `across the road'toward and from each other, and means to interlock the adjacent ends of said bars when in contact with each other.

3. In railway crossing gates, a pair of units, ,V

one located at each side of the road adjacent the trackway; said units each comprising an elevated rack bar, a motor to move said bar longitudinally, and means to support said bar', the bars of the units being arranged to 'move across the road toward and from each other, electric circuits including train-operated circuit closers for actuating said motors to move said bars; and circuit switching means controlled by the movement of at least one of said bars for stopping the motors and setting the circuits ready for further operation.

4. In railway crossing gates, a supporting post, a guide member bounted thereon, a- T- shaped gate bar having a rack portion, antifriction rolls carried by said guide member Yon and between which said gate bar is supported, a shaft, a spur gear on said shaft to mesh'with said rack portion, a worm gear for driving said spur gear, a motor mounted on said post and having a worm shaft meshing with said worm gear, and means to operate said motor.

5. In railway crossingk gates, a supporting post, a guide member mounted thereon, a T- shaped gate bar having a rack portion, antifriction rolls carried by said guide member on and between which said gate bar is supported, a shaft, a spurI gear on said shaft to mesh with said rack portion, a worm gear for driving said spur gear, a motor mounted onsaid post and having a worm shaft meshing with said worm gear, means to operate said motor, an auxiliary guide member, a connectionbetween said guide members, and a diagonal support between said auxiliary guide member and said post.

6. In railway crossing gates, a unit comprising supporting posts, a guide member on said posts, a T-shaped rack bar, antifriction rollers carried by said guide member vand engaging the under `and upper sides of the upper flanges of said ratchet bar for sustaining said rack bar to be moved longitudinelly, e motor to move said rack bar, electric circuits for operating said motor and including two train operated switches, one for operating the motor in one direction and the other for operating the motor in the reverse direction7 and a reversing switch in said oiruts controlled by the movement of the rack Signed at the city of New York, in the l0 county of New York and State of New York,

this 29th day of June, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight.

ANTONIO REGALMUTO. 

